Sharing a passion for your subject with fellow students, building your professional network, knowing who to ask for support and celebrating successes as a group are just a few of the reasons why student led societies are so great. In 2017, three students formed Edge Hill’s Psychology Society – PsychSoc.
The society’s key purpose is to bring people together to share their passion for Psychology as a subject, and since its launch it has gained almost 100 members across the University. Over the last five years, the students involved have established a supportive, friendly and welcoming network within the society. Here’s what they had to say about the PsychSoc.
In the society, you can
- Meet like-minded individuals who are also passionate about Psychology, whether they study the subject or just find it fascinating
- Develop friendships with other students across the University, not just on your own course
- Get support from your peers if you are struggling with any element of your course – from assignment writing to statistics modules
- Attend guest lectures from high-profile psychologists like Alan Baddeley – all organised by the society’s key members
As a member, you will
- Enjoy social events, quizzes, and fund-raising nights with fellow society members
- Benefit from being a part of a close-knit support network that can help your academic development and look after your wellbeing
- Have time and space to enjoy Psychology as a subject and topic of conversation outside of an academic space
The best things about the society are
- It’s open to all students on all programmes, which means it brings lots of different people together through a shared interest in Psychology
- It is well supported by staff in the department, which allows the society to organise events and guest speakers and welcome members of the public along
- The growth of the society, with almost 100 members and growing
- The society’s clear value of students’ voices – feeding back to the department to implement support for statistics and other topics
I’ve made friendships with people I never would have met without this society”
Hannah, PsychSoc president 2020/21
For me it’s the support that we all give each other, if we are finding something tough or just need to talk something through”
Grace, PsychSoc treasurer 2020/21
It’s given us the chance to share our passion for Psychology in a relaxed environment – it reminded me of why I fell in love with the subject to begin with”
Millie, PsychSoc secretary 2020/21
As the society continues to grow, so does its ambitions. PsychSoc t-shirts and hoodies have been designed for society members, and following on from the success of their virtual guest speaker events in 2020/21, new society president Georgina – along with members Sophie, Katie and Wes – recently arranged a fantastic guest speaker event for students and staff at the University.
Georgina tells us how much she has enjoyed being a part of the society so far, and why it’s great for new students to get involved with.
“Myself, Sophie, Katie and Wes have been running the society since September 2021, after a year where University societies were unable to host in-person events. We really wanted to make sure that we made a fresh start and wanted to start up our event series as soon as possible. We wanted our first event to be linked to clinical psychology, because this is such a big career pathway for psychology students.
“Katie told us about a book she had recently read as part of her studies – ‘Madness Explained’ by Richard P. Bentall – and after doing some research about him we thought he would be great to invite in to talk about his current research in delusions. We contacted Richard ourselves, with encouragement from one of our lecturers, and he was happy to come along and talk to our society members.”
Richard’s lecture was fascinating, and students who attended were able to hear about his current research and some of the possible conclusions and also the unanswered questions he’s still seeking to answer – which gave them a lot of food for thought. For example, he has found that living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood is linked to paranoia, which often leads to depression and anxiety, and sometimes this results in delusions. As Richard points out, “lots of people hold views and beliefs that others find extraordinary and bizarre – but that doesn’t mean they are delusional”. Ultimately, the lecture encouraged students to consider what their own understanding of ‘delusions’ is, so that they are able to take a more critical approach to this in their studies.
“I found Richard’s talk really interesting, and he referred to real life case studies which helped put things into context. I think it will no doubt lead to some in-depth debates among the society and will definitely help us with our future studies.
“I had the opportunity to chat with Richard after the event, and asked him for advice on choosing a pathway in clinical psychology as a career. He encouraged me to broaden my options and not be closed off to anything – that it’s best to show interest and awareness in all areas of clinical psychology, as they often overlap, and this will stand me in good stead when I apply for jobs.”
Finally, Georgina tells us how proud her and the team were to host this event – and that they’re already looking forward to planning the next.
“We always have support and encouragement from the Psychology department, and that’s why we were able to put on an event we were very proud of. If you’re thinking of studying Psychology at Edge Hill, we’d love to have you in our PsychSoc.”
July 11, 2022
